LIGHTING AND TILE SURVEY
11/14/1989
TRANSCRIPTION
(Underlined parts indicate parts hard to make out and that could be wrong)
{Preliminary Notes on Lighting and Tile Survey}
{11.15.89}
{Dr. Julia Meisner}
{ASYNC RESEARCH INSTITUTE - INTERNAL USE ONLY}
{DEPARTMENT OF ENERGY UNITED STATES OF AMERICA}
{NOV 14 1989}
Alright...
Today is November 14th. It is a Tuesday.
Yeah...
It is incredibly cold.
Hopefully by the time you're watching this we'll actually have a decent heating system down here
That'd be nice.
I won't die of hypothermia.
Oh hello camera!
Pulleys and straps are in the bin right there.
Just make sure to get the red one alright?
Cause, yeah, the green won't reach.
{A}
Ten Four.
{8 7}
No no, you've got to always check the handle, man.
I've seen people get too comfortable with that
and so...
Before we head down, we'll figure what that is.
There is two, one of them done ??? the back end
Well, there's no insulation on top but I'm seeing a bunch on the floor above.
There's ventilation as well. You see that? You see the vents?
Yeah, it goes around the back to the right.
...and some of it's insulated I think?
???
I don't know, I'm not... I'm not a vent guy. I don't know.
It looks uh...
No rust. I think.
Huh...
...there's more than one floor, and I use that term loosely.
We then attempted to cut power to the nearest fluorescent light fixture.
A standard troffer.
However, we were unable to isolate the power source and the conduit remained live,
despite the absence of any visible external power supply.
The source of electrical current remains unknown at this time.
Using an insulated toolkit, we carefully isolated the light fixture from its electrical conduit,
Uh, extracted the troffer from the ceiling and transported it back inside.
Back to STANDARD for analysis.
Um, and the, uh. A .5 meter sample of conduit was also taken
with all exposed wiring safely secured afterward in the ceiling.
So the ceiling tile extracted measures 1.27m by 1.14m which is... certainly not standard
{1.27m 1.14m}
But it's composed primarily of mineral fiber.
Uh, seems normal in composition. Has fissured texture with mild tegular edges.
So, after initial analysis, the composition of the tile, estimated
is around 60% mineral wool, which is uh fibers of amorphous silicate, um
{100 μm}
Usually derived from, I think it's basalt or slag.
Around 20% expanded perlite which is primarily silicon dioxide and aluminium oxide,
{10um 100um}
and the rest is an undefined mixture of silicate material, some starch, latex polymers,
and, and some organic fibers derived from plant materials.
Um, recycled cellulose, really.
But, the light troffer housing is made of galvanized steel, coated with a thin layer of zinc.
Inside, the fluorescent bulbs are non-standard in proportion, most closely resembling T12 bulbs.
So the four bulbs measure 1.2m in length, with a diameter of 38.1mm.
Uh, we're extrapolating here, we only tested one.
But that bulb, and we assume the rest, contain the following components
Phosphor coating, the calcium halophosphate for converting ultraviolet light to visible light.
Mercury vapor in, in a small quantity, which facilitates the, the ultraviolet light emission.
Argon gas, and again this is all standard for these uh florescent bulbs.
Um, but that's an inert gas that assist with uh, with regulating the current and really starting the bulbs.
Um, and they they are connected via a G13 base, which is a standard two-pin base with 13 mm spacing for electrical connection.
So the wiring connected to the fixture is PVC insulated copper, which appears standard, again.
The prismatic diffuser over the bulbs made of polymethyl methacrylate, which is again,
commonly used for its light diffusion properties. I mean, it's, it's,
It's what we have in the building here. Very standard.
Um, but we, we also inspected the ballast which is of the electromagnetic type.
Um, there's, there's some variation in how these are being manufactured now.
But this one contains a laminated steel core and copper windings designed to operate at 60 Hz.
So the ballast emits a prominent 120 Hz hum.
This seems to be the case for the majority if not all of the lights in The COMPLEX that we've assessed thus far.
Mostly just through simple hearing, but, but this is due to magnetostriction and core vibration.
But the noise may be exacerbated by loose lamination plates or degradation of the insulating potting material over time.
So, it's definitely an indication that this has been running for a little bit.
I mean, despite its age, the the ballast is functional.
{LIGHTING SURVEY FORM}
{Room ...sions W H Room Reflectances F W C Number of Fixtures Lamps per Fixture}
{Panel No. Voltage}
Its large proportion suggests it was built for a non-standard space.
{Fixture type Comments on.. Daylight Occupa...}
{FIG 30-???. Highlights ??? in displaying specular and semi-specular surfaces}
{and refractive materials to best ???. Paint ??? to ???}
{and glassware ???. Large areas of brightness add the sheen to glossy surfaced}
{???}
{Photonete... Serial No. Last Cal...}
Not something you'd find in the majority of offices or most commercial spaces,
{FIG 30-43. To minimize glare from luminaires, they shoiuld conceal the lamps}
{from view. The luminaire should be not much greater than that of its}
{background. High reflectance ceilings and upper wall surfaces and some indirect light}
{component aid in reducing contrasts.}
{FIG. 30-12. In mant cases. Light on vertical surfaces is at ??? in ???
{to that ??? on horizontal surfaces.}
though that's something that's not something I'm too familiar with, truthfully.
{FIG. 30-???. Lighting aids in establishing an atmosphere e???ucive to accurate}
{appe??? if merchandise with respect to the ultimate appe???ture in use. induces}
{???}
{FIG. 30-???. Good store lighting increases merchandise brightness and background}
{contrasts and thus attracts customer attention to items on display.}
Now, we did find...
So material compositions all seem... expected.
{4.4 SOME THINGS TO OBSERVE}
{Does the space seem to have a lot of lights on and few people?}
{Are many work stations unoccupied? If so, make a not of it,}
{and consider whether the space needs better types of occupancy controls}
{Does the space seem to have abundant daylight? Turn the}
{lights off and take some illuminance measurements. How much}
{daylight is there? If plenty, make a note of it, and}
{consider whether the space needs better daylight controls or}
{can make better use of the daylighting (e.g., taks-ambient}
{lighting, where the daylight provides the ambient light).}
{Is the lighting system efficient? Could efficiency be improved}
{by installing higher efficiency lamps? ballasts? luminaires?}
{Are fixtures clean? Are surface reflectances high?}
{Is there too much or too little light? Was adequate time}
{given for the lights to stabilize after they were turned on?}
{(This may take as long as 20 minutes.) Is the lighting}
{arranged properly with respect to work stations, or is too}
{much light in the body shadow or zone of reflected glare?}
{Can lights be disconnected? Can lights have integral light switches installed?}
Or, well, we don't, we don't know what to expect here.
They, they, they seem...
Everything we've looked up so far, and again, this is rudimentary early testing,
but everything seems pretty congruent with what you might expect
from one of the, the troffer lights you could pull out of a ceiling in in this, in this building right here.
(TODO: write down all this stuff on screen)
Um, so nothing too strange, but, but that's maybe... that maybe makes things even stranger.
Because we look at these lights, and um, let me see...
So... several labels were marked on, on various components of the, the troffer.
On the ballast, we found markings for... Marked it as a UNIVERSAL ballast
Type A, manufactured in 1975 with serial number A75234X.
{1975 TYPE A #A75234X 120 Volts 60 Cycles .71 Amp UL}
{UNIVERSAL MFG. COPR.}
The troffer itself is stamped 3X432
{UL UNDERWRITERS LABOLATORIES 3X432}
{Mfg 1973 Reading. Pa.}
{SUITABLE FOR USE IN SUSPENDED CEILING ONLY}
and that was manufactured in 1973 in Reading, Pennsylvania.
And, and, it is UL-listed
Now the bulbs were manufactured by Sylvania, and they're marked F40SW.
{F40SW U.S.A LIFELINE SYLVANIA YR. MO.}
That's "Soft White", with no visible date information, it's left blank.
But it is noted as made in the USA.
{U.S.A}
So, I mean, though outdated in design, the fixture appears fully functional.
The stable operation of all light fixtures in the subdivision points to a continuous,
potentially autonomous power source which still remains unidentified.
We're doing what we can.
The materials used are durable with minimal visible wear, suggesting they were built for long-term,
possibly indefinite use.
So this concludes the initial findings, further investigation is necessary to determine the source of the ballasts and-
{Preliminary Notes on Lighting and Tile Survey}
{11.15.89}
{Dr. Julia Meisner}
{ASYNC RESEARCH INSTITUTE - INTERNAL USE ONLY}
{DEPARTMENT OF ENERGY UNITED STATES OF AMERICA}
{NOV 14 1989}
Alright...
Today is November 14th. It is a Tuesday.
Yeah...
It is incredibly cold.
Hopefully by the time you're watching this we'll actually have a decent heating system down here
That'd be nice.
I won't die of hypothermia.
Oh hello camera!
Pulleys and straps are in the bin right there.
Just make sure to get the red one alright?
Cause, yeah, the green won't reach.
{A}
Ten Four.
{8 7}
No no, you've got to always check the handle, man.
I've seen people get too comfortable with that
and so...
Before we head down, we'll figure what that is.
There is two, one of them done ??? the back end
Well, there's no insulation on top but I'm seeing a bunch on the floor above.
There's ventilation as well. You see that? You see the vents?
Yeah, it goes around the back to the right.
...and some of it's insulated I think?
???
I don't know, I'm not... I'm not a vent guy. I don't know.
It looks uh...
No rust. I think.
Huh...
...there's more than one floor, and I use that term loosely.
We then attempted to cut power to the nearest fluorescent light fixture.
A standard troffer.
However, we were unable to isolate the power source and the conduit remained live,
despite the absence of any visible external power supply.
The source of electrical current remains unknown at this time.
Using an insulated toolkit, we carefully isolated the light fixture from its electrical conduit,
Uh, extracted the troffer from the ceiling and transported it back inside.
Back to STANDARD for analysis.
Um, and the, uh. A .5 meter sample of conduit was also taken
with all exposed wiring safely secured afterward in the ceiling.
So the ceiling tile extracted measures 1.27m by 1.14m which is... certainly not standard
{1.27m 1.14m}
But it's composed primarily of mineral fiber.
Uh, seems normal in composition. Has fissured texture with mild tegular edges.
So, after initial analysis, the composition of the tile, estimated
is around 60% mineral wool, which is uh fibers of amorphous silicate, um
{100 μm}
Usually derived from, I think it's basalt or slag.
Around 20% expanded perlite which is primarily silicon dioxide and aluminium oxide,
{10um 100um}
and the rest is an undefined mixture of silicate material, some starch, latex polymers,
and, and some organic fibers derived from plant materials.
Um, recycled cellulose, really.
But, the light troffer housing is made of galvanized steel, coated with a thin layer of zinc.
Inside, the fluorescent bulbs are non-standard in proportion, most closely resembling T12 bulbs.
So the four bulbs measure 1.2m in length, with a diameter of 38.1mm.
Uh, we're extrapolating here, we only tested one.
But that bulb, and we assume the rest, contain the following components
Phosphor coating, the calcium halophosphate for converting ultraviolet light to visible light.
Mercury vapor in, in a small quantity, which facilitates the, the ultraviolet light emission.
Argon gas, and again this is all standard for these uh florescent bulbs.
Um, but that's an inert gas that assist with uh, with regulating the current and really starting the bulbs.
Um, and they they are connected via a G13 base, which is a standard two-pin base with 13 mm spacing for electrical connection.
So the wiring connected to the fixture is PVC insulated copper, which appears standard, again.
The prismatic diffuser over the bulbs made of polymethyl methacrylate, which is again,
commonly used for its light diffusion properties. I mean, it's, it's,
It's what we have in the building here. Very standard.
Um, but we, we also inspected the ballast which is of the electromagnetic type.
Um, there's, there's some variation in how these are being manufactured now.
But this one contains a laminated steel core and copper windings designed to operate at 60 Hz.
So the ballast emits a prominent 120 Hz hum.
This seems to be the case for the majority if not all of the lights in The COMPLEX that we've assessed thus far.
Mostly just through simple hearing, but, but this is due to magnetostriction and core vibration.
But the noise may be exacerbated by loose lamination plates or degradation of the insulating potting material over time.
So, it's definitely an indication that this has been running for a little bit.
I mean, despite its age, the the ballast is functional.
{LIGHTING SURVEY FORM}
{Room ...sions W H Room Reflectances F W C Number of Fixtures Lamps per Fixture}
{Panel No. Voltage}
Its large proportion suggests it was built for a non-standard space.
{Fixture type Comments on.. Daylight Occupa...}
{FIG 30-???. Highlights ??? in displaying specular and semi-specular surfaces}
{and refractive materials to best ???. Paint ??? to ???}
{and glassware ???. Large areas of brightness add the sheen to glossy surfaced}
{???}
{Photonete... Serial No. Last Cal...}
Not something you'd find in the majority of offices or most commercial spaces,
{FIG 30-43. To minimize glare from luminaires, they shoiuld conceal the lamps}
{from view. The luminaire should be not much greater than that of its}
{background. High reflectance ceilings and upper wall surfaces and some indirect light}
{component aid in reducing contrasts.}
{FIG. 30-12. In mant cases. Light on vertical surfaces is at ??? in ???
{to that ??? on horizontal surfaces.}
though that's something that's not something I'm too familiar with, truthfully.
{FIG. 30-???. Lighting aids in establishing an atmosphere e???ucive to accurate}
{appe??? if merchandise with respect to the ultimate appe???ture in use. induces}
{???}
{FIG. 30-???. Good store lighting increases merchandise brightness and background}
{contrasts and thus attracts customer attention to items on display.}
Now, we did find...
So material compositions all seem... expected.
{4.4 SOME THINGS TO OBSERVE}
{Does the space seem to have a lot of lights on and few people?}
{Are many work stations unoccupied? If so, make a not of it,}
{and consider whether the space needs better types of occupancy controls}
{Does the space seem to have abundant daylight? Turn the}
{lights off and take some illuminance measurements. How much}
{daylight is there? If plenty, make a note of it, and}
{consider whether the space needs better daylight controls or}
{can make better use of the daylighting (e.g., taks-ambient}
{lighting, where the daylight provides the ambient light).}
{Is the lighting system efficient? Could efficiency be improved}
{by installing higher efficiency lamps? ballasts? luminaires?}
{Are fixtures clean? Are surface reflectances high?}
{Is there too much or too little light? Was adequate time}
{given for the lights to stabilize after they were turned on?}
{(This may take as long as 20 minutes.) Is the lighting}
{arranged properly with respect to work stations, or is too}
{much light in the body shadow or zone of reflected glare?}
{Can lights be disconnected? Can lights have integral light switches installed?}
Or, well, we don't, we don't know what to expect here.
They, they, they seem...
Everything we've looked up so far, and again, this is rudimentary early testing,
but everything seems pretty congruent with what you might expect
from one of the, the troffer lights you could pull out of a ceiling in in this, in this building right here.
(TODO: write down all this stuff on screen)
Um, so nothing too strange, but, but that's maybe... that maybe makes things even stranger.
Because we look at these lights, and um, let me see...
So... several labels were marked on, on various components of the, the troffer.
On the ballast, we found markings for... Marked it as a UNIVERSAL ballast
Type A, manufactured in 1975 with serial number A75234X.
{1975 TYPE A #A75234X 120 Volts 60 Cycles .71 Amp UL}
{UNIVERSAL MFG. COPR.}
The troffer itself is stamped 3X432
{UL UNDERWRITERS LABOLATORIES 3X432}
{Mfg 1973 Reading. Pa.}
{SUITABLE FOR USE IN SUSPENDED CEILING ONLY}
and that was manufactured in 1973 in Reading, Pennsylvania.
And, and, it is UL-listed
Now the bulbs were manufactured by Sylvania, and they're marked F40SW.
{F40SW U.S.A LIFELINE SYLVANIA YR. MO.}
That's "Soft White", with no visible date information, it's left blank.
But it is noted as made in the USA.
{U.S.A}
So, I mean, though outdated in design, the fixture appears fully functional.
The stable operation of all light fixtures in the subdivision points to a continuous,
potentially autonomous power source which still remains unidentified.
We're doing what we can.
The materials used are durable with minimal visible wear, suggesting they were built for long-term,
possibly indefinite use.
So this concludes the initial findings, further investigation is necessary to determine the source of the ballasts and-
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